Home and back

Here's the proof.

Those were the days my friend, I thought they’d never end. This is pretty much what I thought leaving home. I spent a wonderful week with my family in Finland, but now it’s time to go back “home”. Can’t say yet that Kenya feels like home, but that is natural, I don’t have a house on an apartment yet and my family is still in Finland.

Well deserved after the test...

The last two- three weeks have been busy and different. First I was studying my ass off for the ATP-written exam. It is sort of funny you know. To be allowed to fly in Kenya, I have to convert my European license. I don’t have a problem with that, although the license I have is recognized in most parts of the world. The first requirement is to pass the ATP-written exam. I’m really not too fond of that idea, it is like going back to school. Imagine having to redo your matriculation exam now, would you pass? But ok, rules are rules and we need to abide by those. The one thing that bothers me, is that the test is based on the European regulations, meaning the license that I have! One could say that then there should be no problem, you know the stuff, right? Not quite. Yes I know the stuff I daily use, but the test isn’t about knowing your daily stuff, it is about passing the test. Enough said. After 2-3 weeks of intensifying studies I did pass the test, scoring 81 (70 was minimum)!

As I opted to do the test one week ahead of the other guys, my plan worked out: I got one week of vacation time, which I used to go back to Finland to be with my family. That sure felt good! We kept it a surprise for the kids, you should have seen their faces when they suddenly saw me step out of the train in Mikkeli, in the middle of the Finnish countryside. Well, I was as happy as they were, probably even closer to tears. Yes, I am a wuzz.

After being five weeks in Nairobi, what can I say abut the country? Not much really. Most of the time has been spent studying in a classroom or at the hotel. I also was ill twice, not a glorious time. I haven’t really had time to look around, but by and by that will change. There will of course be more tests (they love tests), but they should be nothing like the one I had.

People are friendly in general and a bit curious, well so would I. They are proud of their heritage, but it is still more a tribal heritage than being a Kenyan. Well, that will probably (hopefully) change but don’t expect the change to be quick. Things don’t happen quick here. It is good and bad. Good in sense that they don’t stress over things, bad in a way that things don’t happen until they really must. The biggest problem is the lack of forward planning. Well, I’ll just have to learn the local ways and take life with a smileJ

Out in the archipelago.

8 o'clock in the evening, and the sun is still
up for many hours.